This restaurant had a nice little dining room tucked into the cliffs halfway up the Main Street in…read moreriomaggiore. The staff were all so helpful and friendly. For my meal I had the pesto pasta. It was just ok, probably my least favorite of my meals in Italy. I did taste my wife's shrimp risotto and that was pretty tasty though so I might have liked it a little better if I got that.

On our first night in Riomaggiore we tried this restaurant on the basis of a recommendation from…read moreour B&B. I believe the rabbit Ligurian-style was the best meal I had in Italy. So flavorful and tender! I only wish rabbits were bigger, so I could have eaten more. My wife had the house lasagna, which was good, but nothing great. We sat in the outside seating area, which was very nice. The servers and wait staff were friendly and very attentive.

Best meal we had in Cinque Terre! Saw good reviews on Yelp. Off the beaten path. Great old…read morefashioned atmosphere. Great service. I was craving grilled fish and boy did this deliver. Delicious grilled sea bass - best seafood I've had in years and only 25 euros! A bargain. My husband really enjoyed his spicy salami pizza too. Saw they had tasty looking steaks and pasta as well. Highly recommend!

On the positive side, the food was decent and met my expectations in terms of quality and taste…read more However, the service was significantly lacking, which really impacted the overall experience. Throughout our meal, it was difficult to get any assistance. Most of the waitstaff appeared to be disengaged, spending their time watching videos on their phones with AirPods in rather than attending to the dining room. I want to give a special shout-out to one gentleman on the floor who was the only person actively working and checking on tables. He was professional and clearly trying his best to cover for the lack of attentiveness from the rest of the team. It's a shame because the kitchen is clearly doing a good job, but the lack of service standards makes it hard to recommend a return visit. I hope management addresses the staff's focus, as it currently feels like the front-of-house team is not prioritizing the guests.

Our first time in Vernazza and we wanted to get some lunch. We got Caprese salad, spaghetti…read moreBolognese, and breaded veal (Milanese). It was delicious!!! I'm married to a Sicilian, so I know what great Italian food tastes like. I was really surprised to see 3 stars on Yelp! The waitress she was managing multiple tables, so the service was not ideal. The restaurant is nestled in a perfect spot with a beautiful view of the marina. We would definitely return! I wish I captured pictures of our food!

Service was great. Food was delicious. We got spaghetti with clams and bolognese was good.read more

Excellent Choice For Dinner…read more.. My wife and I arrived in Monterosso al Mare for the first week of our vacation around Cinque Terre. Where to eat? Our hotel - Villa Steno.....a wonderful place - plotted several recommendations on a map. The first place we tried was Oscar. Our impressions were as follows: Pros: - Most of the seating was on the patio out front which was delightful - We shared the Seafood Salad and Pasta with Seafood. Both were great! The second dish was among the best I've ever tried. - Dark bread accompanying dinner was amazing - A bottle of local Sauvignon Blanc went perfectly with the meal - It seemed the owner or one of the owners served all the customers. She was friendly, efficient and how she did it I'll never know. - Prices were very reasonable for everything we ordered Cons: - Only one: Oscar, like most restaurants in town, opened at 7 PM which was a bit late for us Americans. Both my wife and I heartily suggest trying Oscar.

It's good clean food for a fair price don't get me wrong. But this as the same menu and same…read moretasting food as like 75% of restaurants on cinque terre. Pesto pasta, seafood pasta, calamari, mussels... pretty much the only thing a great handful of restaurants around here serve (usually pizza too) Overall it's fine it just won't be a memorable meal. Service is mediocre.

Awesome spot. Stopped here after a day of sun and hiking…read more My partner and I where hungry not during "usual" dinner time, so before 7. We had a awesome meal here. Everything was well seasoned and our server was really sweet. We shared a pesto pasta dish and beef carpaccio.

Great customer service! Waitress's very friendly unlike other restaurants in Cinque Terre…read more Food was very good and creative. If your tired of traditional cuisine this is the place for you. Enjoyed the octopus with potatoes and the spaghetti which was very simple a delicious. Also tried the salmon tartar and swordfish that was seared on one side. I would go with the salmon burger which I saw someone else order over the tarter . The burger looked great. The coconut flan was also very tasty. Really Enjoyed the Vino Rossi from Montalcino (only $20E) Overall a very nice restaurant with cool atmosphere and great food. Highly recommend .

We stayed in town 3 nights and came here all of them. The ravioli is wonderful. The pasta was…read morestuffed to the max. We had it 2 nights. The desserts are to die for. The owners wife is the awesome maker. And he is just the kindest man. We had the chocolate pistachio cake twice ! Definitely a must taste experience.

Best Clams with zucchini I've had since being in Italy for the past week…read moreHusband had meat ravioli, he said the meat sauce has been his favorite in Cinque Terre

We went to Rio Bistro because it had been highly recommended to us by several locals, so of course…read morewe had to give it a try. It's also listed in the Michelin Guide selection, which definitely gives it a credibility and caught our attention. We got lucky with a little table on the terrace overlooking Riomaggiore's tiny harbor. The setting was so picturesque and charming-- colorful boats, the sea, and quintessential Cinque Terre atmosphere. The service was nice and welcoming, and the food was really good. We started with burrata with sashimi and tomato, which was such a delicious combination. By the way, tomatoes here in Italy are the juiciest and flavorful that I had ever tried. For the main, I had pasta... and somehow I completely forgot to take a photo. I must have either been very hungry or it must have been really good, because I absolutely devoured it. Of course, we had a couple of Aperol Spritzes to match the vibe, and they were just as good as they looked. A lovely little spot with great local approval, beautiful views, and food that definitely delivered. Sometimes that's all you need.

More of a nicer resturant to dine in and if you get an outside seat it has a glimpse of the harbor…read more The crudo platter and fish of the day were quite excellent.

The totally outdoor restaurant is actually very nice, and a perfect setting for Vernazza. One of…read morethe 3 actual seaside dining options, the others set inland. It's a casual place with nice service, a decent menu, and well-priced considering they could actual gage you for being in this magical touristy place. My gf and I got 2 of the pesto dishes: gnocchi, a small twisted pasta called Trofie -- slightly chewy, and because of the twist, hold a nice amount of pesto in each bite). Both were excellent and nice portions. [10 euros each, 4.5 stars]. I enjoyed the pasta, got a beer, and reveled in all that Vernazza offers: aged, faded, and patchy pastel buildings; small beach, crystal clear and clean water, small boats, and the freshest breeze.

Located right out on the breakwater in Vernazza, Baia Saracena has one of the best views while…read moredining in a village filled with great views. While the restaurant in the tower above provides a good view of the water, from Saracena you can see the water, hillsides and a gorgeous view of the pastel buildings of Vernazza. Plus you don't have to climb any stairs. There was a good crowd when we arrived at dusk, but it was never totally full, which was on par with our experience in Vernazza where the town empties of day tourists come early evening. As with any place that's right on the water in a seaside town, there was plenty of seafood on the menu, but I was feeling like a different local tradition - pesto. They've got a variety of options, and my wife and I chose to try a few of them - she the pesto lasagna, and I ordered the pesto bruschetta as a starter to share, and the traditional trofie al pesto for my main. The bruschetta was composed of four slices of heavily toasted bread piled high with chopped tomatoes, a dusting of herbs and an interesting pesto cream, rather than just the spread of dark green basil sauce that I was expecting. The pieces were big enough and had enough toppings that a knife and fork was the obvious way to go. The tomatoes were good and fresh, and the pesto cream was pleasantly smooth and I enjoyed its more dialed back pesto flavour, compared to what pure pesto would have been like. The thorough, but not burnt, toasting stood up nicely to the tomatoes and pesto. Pesto course #2 for me was a very large serving of a local favourite pasta, trofie. The semi-thick, semi-twisted sticks of pasta were plump and had an enjoyable chew. The pesto flavour was more pronounced than the bruschetta and that of pesto trofie I'd had elsewhere in Vernazza, but despite not being as much of a basil-lover as my wife, I still ate eagerly. We got tiramisu for dessert; the cream was wonderfully airy, but the cake parts could have used a more generous soaking in coffee. All in all, I would definitely suggest that hit this place up at dusk if you're in Vernazza for a few nights, and take in the sunset on the water and tasty local flavours that Baia Saracena has to offer.